Erik Karlsson will represent Team Sweden for the 4 Nations Face-off. However, a former head coach thinks it was a bad decision.

Sweden made their first six selections for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-off in June, which featured Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson. 

Sam Hallam will coach Sweden at the tournament and has experience with the country's national team since 2022, taking over for former NHLer Johan Garpenlöv, who was head coach from 2019 to 2022.

On Monday, Garpenlöv told SportsExpressen that Sweden made the wrong decision regarding Karlsson's selection to the team.

Considering how poorly the Penguins have played defensively, Garpenlöv has a solid case for feeling like he does about Karlsson despite having no say about the 4 Nations roster construction.

Karlsson, the highest-paid player in the Pittsburgh lineup, has just two goals and ten points in 17 games while earning a minus-7 rating, the third-worst rating among defensemen.

Conversely, some other Penguins have had a rough go, with Drew O'Connor (minus-14) and Kris Letang (minus-10) the only players in double-digits. Overall, 20 out of 22 skaters who have played a game this season are negative players.

Meanwhile, Karlsson is on pace for only 49 points, which is less than the 56 he had as a first-year member of the Penguins in 2023-24. That would also be 52 points fewer than the 101 he secured in 2022-23 when he won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman.

They say one of his gifts is that he's a top offensive defenseman, but with a yearly average of only 67 points, that number is slightly inflated with a 101-point season thrown into the mix. 

Karlsson's focus is on offense over defense. However, he is routinely a minus player, with a career minus-106 rating, maintaining that streak with all three teams he's played for: Ottawa (minus-36), San Jose (minus-67), and Pittsburgh (minus-3).

In a short tournament featuring rosters loaded with the best talent in the world, there's no room for mistakes in the defensive zone, meaning Karlsson needs to bring his A-game or risk being a concern during his shifts.

When scrolling through the comments on the SportsExpressen post with Garpenlöv's remarks, there's a clear divide between those who support the former coach and those who highlight Karlsson's past success for Sweden.

At the recent World Championships, Karlsson helped Sweden to a bronze medal, scoring the most goals (six) for defensemen and earning All-Star and Top 3 Player on Team honors.

The only two Swedish defensemen ahead of Karlsson in scoring this season are Rasmus Dahlin and Rasmus Andersson. Both are almost locked in the lock to make the roster in February. 

However, some talented defenders, such as Hampus Lindholm and Philip Broberg, may be on the outside looking in. Depending on how Sweden does in the tournament and how well Karlsson plays, fans may return to Garpenlöv's comments.